The Important Things in Life
by jellypope
Summary: Denmark found a baby in the woods, who turns out to be a nation. But he's not the only one. All around the world nations discover children and take care of them. But will they succeed? Or will the children turn their lifes upside down? (Nordic centered)
1. Chapter 1

Norway was going to kill him. He didn't care anymore, he was definitely going to kill him.

He had been sleeping, fully content with the world when suddenly the oh so amazing Dane decided it would be a great idea to call him up. At 4 am.

The grumpy Norwegian sleepily sat up in his bed. God, he couldn't believe how annoying the ringing of his phone was right now. He would have to change his ring tone after tonight...

He looked at his phone, the name on the screen saying "Idiot". Maybe if he let it ring long enough the Dane would give up and he could go back to sleep. He waited for a while...but no luck. Every time Denmark hung up, he called again five minutes later. The only way of putting an end to this seemed to be to pick up the phone.

"You've been calling me for the past 20 minutes. What do you want?" A sleepy Norway was an angry Norway. Denmark knew that all too well, so why did he call? What on earth could have been so important to wake him up?

"Oh my God, Nor, thank goodness! You've gotta help me man I just had a baby!" ...what.

"I'm hanging up now. You're drunk." It was obvious, and wouldn't be the first time the Dane called because of something like this. One time he panicked because he thought he was lost out at sea. In reality he fell into a wading pool.

"No Nor! Please!"

Norway was about to put the phone down when suddenly he heard something whimpering. Then crying. A baby crying.  
Though it could always have been Denmark crying, he wasn't sure.

Norway didn't really know what was happening. He could hear a baby bawling its eyes out and a Dane desperately trying to calm it down.  
The only right thing to do was to grab his jacket, drive over and save the poor thing before Denmark does anything stupid like feeding it beer or something like that.

When he arrived the door immediately burst open and Denmark had the most relieved and thankful look on his face Norway has ever seen.

"Nor! I'm so glad you came!"

"yeah, whatever." Norway wanted to get inside as soon as possible. It was autumn and the air was very chilly. Especially at night.  
Then Norway noticed Denmark didn't have the baby with him.

"What did you do with the baby?"

"Oh! I put it in the sink!"

...

Norway grabbed him by the collar and shook him.  
"You don't put a baby in the sink!"  
"Just in case it would pee!"

After the two mature nations calmed down, they went inside and Norway finally got to see the little thing. The baby appeared to be sleeping and was wrapped in a soft sheet. It had light blond, thin hair that looked just as soft as its rosy cheeks. Norway couldn't help but being reminded of Iceland when he was still little. He could feel his protecting instinct rising instantly and took the little ball of cuteness in his arms.  
Even though he was still mesmerized by the tiny being he was holding, he still wondered where Denmark even got the child from. But first, another question bothered him.

"You haven't told me if it's a boy or a girl, yet."

"Hm? Oh! Sorry, hehe, uhm, it's a girl. I, uh, checked.." The Dane seemed so flustered, it was pretty amusing. One should think somebody who's lived for centuries wouldn't get embarrassed about checking the gender of a baby. Norway was sure to mention it sometime around the other Nordics.

"I see. So, do you mind telling me how exactly you got pregnant?"

"No, it's not like that! How would I get pregnant? It was something very...different."

Norway sat down on the couch while Denmark made them both some coffee. They both agreed they needed something to wake them up properly first. When he came back with the coffee he began to explain what happened.

" I woke up in the middle of the night and suddenly had the hugest need to go to the forest. I know it sounds crazy, but it was like...I knew I had to be there right now. And then..."

"You found her." Norway completed, "But why do you think she's your child? She basically could be anyone's abandoned kid."

Denmark's eyes widened, as if he couldn't believe what Norway just said "What? No! Don't you feel it, Nor? She's one of us!"

...He was right. Now that he mentioned it, Norway could feel it ,too. She has that certain feeling to her that all nations have, at least as far as Norway knows. There was no doubt about it, she was a nation.

"And though I don't really know how to explain it, I just know..." Denmark began and took the little girl in his arms, " ...that this kid belongs to me!"

He held the baby with such pride and had such a caring look in his eyes, it really made him look like he was born to be this child's father. Denmark was always great with kids and from the look in his eyes, he's already locked her into his heart.  
For a short moment it made Norway forget that the Dane had no idea how to raise a child. He couldn't be consequent when it came to punishments or enforcing rules with children. As much as Denmark will love the little girl, there's no way he'd be able to bring her up on his own. Norway would have to help him, there's no way around that. After all, he's the only one who's actually raised a baby before. Sure, there's Sweden with Sealand, but Sealand was already a great deal older when he was adopted by him.

After a while of watching Denmark holding the child, Norway spoke again.

"Whatever the case is, it's good that you brought her here. Who knows what might have happened out there...I don't suppose you have any clothes for her?"

Denmark looked surprised "Huh? No! I didn't expect to find a baby in the bushes!"

Norway sighed. They would have a lot to take care of. First they'd need the basic things, like clothes, a bed, food, diapers, a changing table... "We need to make a list of all the things we'll need, but first, what about a name?"

"...huh?"

"A name, Denmark. What will you call her?"

"Well, I... haven't thought about it, yet.."

There was a long silence. Denmark seemed to be deep in thought trying to figure out a name. But then Denmark spoke again.

"How about Samantha?"

"_Samantha?_"

Norway thought he would choose a more Nordic name like Astrid or Freja. He didn't particularly like the name...

"Well, it's a pretty international name, right? It'll be easier for her to interact with other nations like that. And it's pretty!" The Norwegian didn't exactly think so.

"Well, it's your kid.." under his breath he added "I sure wouldn't name her that..."

"Then it's settled!" The Dane exclaimed wearing his signature bright grin on his face. That's when Samantha started crying. Denmark shrieked.

"Eep! What's happening? What did I do?" he asked helplessly.

"You made her cry, you idiot!"

And thus, a whole new part of the Nordic's life began.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day they went shopping.  
Norway had made a list of all the things they needed, from diapers to furniture, even up to electric outlet covers. He had to make sure there's absolutely nothing left in the house that could ever even slightly pose a threat to the child.

They already had some basic things at home, because Norway had sent Denmark to buy some clothes, milk powder, a bottle, a pacifier and a baby friendly car seat, so they could take her with them. The clothing the Dane had picked out for her was way too big, but it had to do for now.  
It was a white one piece with light pink dots on it and a small ribbon at the collar, along with a red jacket that had a white flower just above the chest. He had also bought a white hat with a pink little flower at the side.

Norway didn't say it, but all in all, he found it pretty cute.

However, the shopping itself didn't go very smoothly. For once, Denmark wanted to buy everything in red. Red clothes, red baby buggy...heck, he'd even buy red baby wipes if there were any.  
This resulted in a very annoyed Norway and a lot of passive aggressive comments that the Dane either didn't notice, or just ignored. No one really knew for sure.

The bigger issue, however, was that Sammy, as they decided to call her for short, didn't stay calm throughout the day. She turned out to be, much like her father, a very energetic and loud person. She either tried to wriggle out of Norway's grasp or tried to grab everything she could get her tiny hands on. Including hair. Oh, how she loved pulling hair.

Norway and Denmark couldn't stay mad at her though. All it took to break them was a little giggle and a pleading look with her sky blue eyes and their hearts melted.

All in all, it was a very exhausting day. And it was far from over. After they finally had bought everything they needed (in different colours), Norway was ready to head home and have a nice mug of coffee. Denmark, on the other hand, had different plans.

He insisted on buying a bouncy seat, because "If she's anything like me, she won't be able to sit still all the time! The kid needs movement!" And Norway couldn't say anything against that. He lived in constant fear that the little girl would succeed in her breakneck attempts to escape and fall on her head someday.  
So, a bouncy seat was bought. In red.

To top it all off, Denmark had taken the time to get a little present for her.

"It's something that will accompany her until she's old enough to walk the world on her own!" Denmark loudly proclaimed in a way too dramatic fashion as Norway thought.  
He gave her a little stuffed lion with a tiny Danish flag on his side. The lion, as he said, is strong and proud and will protect her throughout her life. It's also on the Danish national emblem, so there simply is no better choice.

Norway had to admit, this was very thoughtful actually. And the toy was cute. Yes, the Dane had for once made a good choice that Norway approved. And so did Sammy apparently. Sure, she did immediately start nibbling on the lions' ear, but seemed very content with it.

Now they were finally set to go home and build that lovely IKEA furniture they just bought. But first, they would have to get some reinforcements.

"Oh, she's so cute!" A certain Finnish man exclaimed joyfully as he amused the little girl by jingling his car keys above her, making her giggle at the sounds it made.

They had all gathered at Denmark's house to see if what the Dane had told them was true, that he truly had found a child and was not just drunk out of his mind and speaking nonsense. They sure were surprised when they actually found Denmark rocking a baby in his arms.

They also were surprised when Norway told them he had gathered them all in order to build furniture.  
However, everyone was rather preoccupied at the moment with little Sammy giggling and trying to catch Finland's keys.

While the Finnish man beamed with joy, Sweden watched the child with a stoic expression. Or at least so it would appear to people who didn't know him well.

The other Nordics noticed the gleam of almost childlike curiosity in his eyes. It wasn't a secret that Sweden loved children. After all he had Sealand and Ladonia to take care of, and to be honest, he really loved the job of being a father.

While Denmark and Finland played with Sammy and Sweden silently watched them, Norway couldn't help but wonder what his brother was thinking at the moment.  
Iceland stood a bit away from the others, a frown on his face. He studied the little girl with a sceptical look in his eyes. Norway wanted to ask him what the problem was, but decided against it. Iceland would say something if he wanted to.  
And if he didn't, well, Norway always had his ways of finding out.

"She's so sweet! I could just eat her up!" Finland exclaimed.  
"Well what did you expect? She got her good looks from me! Ouch! Norway! What was that for?" "You're being too annoying. And you're setting a bad example for your daughter." "You're the one using violence! Come on, I was just making a joke~!" The men went on about it for a while, until Sweden interrupted.

"So, I've heard y'r not the only one?"

The Dane went silent for a moment before he replied "No, so far we know that Austria, France and Greece also found some."

"Do you think there might be a connection?" Finland spoke. Norway shook his head "At least not that I know of. The only thing everyone has in common is that they had the feeling they had to be somewhere. And there they found the children."

Turning towards Norway Sweden wondered "B't why? What d'they represent?"

"Maybe they turned up to replace you."

All eyes were on Iceland now. And everything was silent for a moment.  
Norway had also considered that possibility, but had quickly cast that thought aside. It was ridiculous. Perfectly healthy nation didn't need replacement. Not even countries with a weak economy or little to no population needed to be replaced.  
So far, the only way for a country to fall is when either all of their people have died, or do not recognize themselves as part of said nation anymore.  
So to say: If a nation is forgotten by its' people, they die. And are replaced with a new nation.

But unless a huge flood decided to wipe Denmark and all of his people off the world map, none of these scenarios were even close to happening. Right?

The Icelandic teen looked at the ground "What?...It could be."

The atmosphere in the room was uncomfortable. No one wanted to believe that a child such as Samantha could be the cause of her loving father's death.  
No. It was simply too ridiculous.

"I wouldn't be surprised if the world wanted Denmark to be replaced~" Norway said in a teasing voice, immediately lightening the mood as Denmark replied shocked "Eeh? What do you mean by that? Norway that was cruel!" the Dane pouted and threw a pillow at the Norwegian, who gracefully dodged it with a swift sidestep.  
Finland chuckled at Denmark's reaction, while Sweden found the whole situation quite amusing. Even Iceland couldn't help but crack a grin at the scene that unfolded before him, even though he had been in such a bad mood ever since his assumption.

"Well, you guys start building the furniture now, while Sammy and I" Norway picked the child up, who first protested, but then comfortably settled down in his arms and clutched his shirt " are going to take a nap." He finished.

Ignoring the other's complaints he went up the stairs, slowly rubbing the little Danish girl's back trying to make her feel sleepy. He softly stroked her hair while humming an old lullaby that he used to sing to Iceland when he was still small.

"...Replacement, huh?" He looked at the girl, who stared back up at him innocently. A worried frown found its' way to his face.


	3. Chapter 3

1:34 am.

The Nordic household was awoken by the crying of a child. The loud crying of a child.

"Like father, like daughter..." Norway thought, annoyed that the Dane hadn't gotten up, yet to go check on the little girl. So he got up, went to the Dane's room and poked his head. Once. Twice. Still no reaction.

"Hey." A groan.  
"Hey!" He pinched Denmark's arm, gaining a high pitched squeak from him.

"I'm up! I'm up.." The Dane got up. Way too slowly for Norway's taste, but it was better than nothing. As Denmark made his way to Sammy's room, Norway followed him. He knew Denmark had no experience with babies crying in the middle of the night, so there was no way of letting him handle this alone.

When they entered the room, Denmark immediately scooped the little girl up in his arms and began petting her back and gently rocking her.

"Hey..hey, sweetie, no need ta cry..what's wrong?" Norway didn't know if Denmark actually expected an answer from the child. But as sleepy as he was right now, it wouldn't surprise him.  
Norway stood in the doorway and watched. He wasn't gonna interfere just now, no. He's gonna let the Dane make his first attempts.

"Come on, stop crying..you're waking everyone up.." Much to Denmark's discouragement, Sammy didn't seem to care much about how much sleep the others were going to get tonight.

"Have you checked her diaper?"

Denmark looked at Norway. The look on his face was almost amusing. He seemed really desperate to get this child to stop crying.

"It doesn't stink or anything! Do you think she's sick? Maybe she has some illness that we don't know about! Should we go to a hospital? Isn't it really dangerous for babies to get sick?" The sheer worry in his voice surprised Norway.

He sighed. "Denmark. It's normal for children to start crying in the middle of the night." He put the back of his hand on Sammy's cheeks, and forehead. "She doesn't have a fever. She's probably just hungry. I'll go prepare a bottle. You just keep holding her close, that should at least calm her down a little bit."  
Denmark sighed with relief and continued rocking the little girl in his arms.

When Norway returned with the bottle, Sammy already calmed down a bit. She was still crying, but not as hard as before.  
The Norwegian handed the bottle over and the baby immediately started drinking.  
"So she really was hungry...thanks, Norway."

"No problem. Just don't panic next time, alright?"

"Yeah..it's just..I don't know. I really want to protect her, okay? She's still so small and I'm...well, I'm her Dad and it's my job to make sure she's okay." Denmark said, insecurity covering his face.  
"Don't worry too much. We're all helping you." Norway reassured him. As much as he loved teasing the Dane, now was not the time. He needed support now. And that was what they were going to give him.

"So, tell me, how often does this happen? Babies crying during the night?"

"It depends. Some cry every couple nights, others cry many times during a single night."

"What?" Denmark said in a hushed, but shocked tone. "So we have to get up all the time?"

"No, you have to get all the time."  
"But..!"  
"Your kid. Your responsibility. Good luck with getting her to sleep again, see you tomorrow morning." And with that Norway went back to bed, leaving a stunned Denmark behind. Norway smiled to himself. He knew Denmark could handle this much. But seeing him so helpless and stressed out by a child made Norway chuckle. It was almost cute.

The next morning, all the Nordics sat assembled at the table, taking in their breakfast. Well, almost all of them. Someone was missing.

"Where's Sweden?" Iceland asked, confused as to why Sweden, the early bird of the Nordics, would miss breakfast made by his 'wife'.  
"I haven't seen him all morning! When I knocked on his door, nobody answered. I thought he was taking a shower, but that was already half an hour ago. Do you think he's still showering? It's very unusual of him, don't you think?" Finland answered. Or rather, chattered. He was the only one really awake.  
Norway hadn't said a word all morning. He usually didn't talk until he hadn't had at least two coffees. He was on his second one, so they figured he'd be somewhat talkative soon. Well, as talkative as Norway can be.  
Iceland was never a morning person. And it really annoyed him when he had to get up this early when he was together with his family like this. He was currently preoccupied with peeling an egg and keeping Mr. Puffin from stealing slices of bacon from his plate.  
Denmark looked half dead. If anything. His 'little mermaid', as he affectionately called Sammy sometimes, woke him up two more times. While the little girl was happily bouncing in her seat, her father was lazily making himself a sandwich. He had dark bags under his eyes and seemed rather absent minded. Apparently from sleep deprivation.  
And then there was Sweden, still missing.  
"Maybe he went for a jog." The first words Norway had spoken today.

And as if on cue, Sweden entered the room, looking almost as tired as Denmark.

"Good mornin'." He said, taking a seat. "C'n you pass me th' bread n' the jam please?" he asked Finland. The Finnish man gave him the things and asked "Where have you been, Berwald? You look so tired!" "Did Sammy keep you awake? Sorry 'bout that, she kept waking up.." a sleepy Dane added. At the mention of her name Sammy looked up and watched at her father expectantly. However, as he didn't make any moves of speaking to her at the moment, she soon lost interest and continued licking strawberry jam, which she had somehow gotten her hands on, off her fingers.  
"No, it's not that." Sweden answered. "But she kept me awake." Iceland said annoyed.  
"Why can't that thing just stay quiet, I don't understand.." he continued while munching on his hard boiled egg. He didn't get very far though, as Norway threw a piece of cheese at his head.  
"What was that for?"  
"For that nasty remark."  
"What nasty remark? It's true!"  
"You were no better as a kid, so don't throw a fit now." Norway said teasingly.  
"Or are you still a kid?"

Iceland gave a frustrated sigh and got up. "I'm done. I'm upstairs if you need anything." With that, he left the room. Finland looked around awkwardly, while Denmark gave Norway a confused look. "What's wrong with him lately?" Norway shrugged it off. "I'll talk to him later. Anyway, Sweden. What have you been doing all night to be so tired?"  
"'m gonna show y' after breakfast."

They soon finished eating and put their plates in the dishwasher. Sweden told them to follow him into the garage.  
"What have you been doing down there, Sve? Did you paint my car in blue and yellow or what?" Denmark joked. He was carrying Sammy, who was currently fiercely tugging at his hair. How he managed to ignore it, nobody shall ever know.

Sweden just grunted at the Dane's remark. "I made s'mething for y'."

When he opened the door leading to the garage, they were welcomed by the smell of wood and work.  
In the centre of the garage stood a rocking chair. A beautiful rocking chair. It was made with much love for detail. The armrests and the back ornamented with old runes, traditionally used as protection and luck bringers. The whole thing was made from light wood, but was robust and solid as well.  
"You built this? When?" Denmark asked, fascinated by all the small details that the Swede carved into the wood.  
"Last night...th' whole night." Sweden took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes.  
Finland nudged Sweden slightly and asked "You built this because you felt miffed that they didn't ask you for the new furniture, didn't you?" The Finn giggled, examining the new addition to the collection of handmade furniture.  
"Is that true Sve? You were pouting because of that?" Denmark laughed.  
Sweden looked at the ground, embarrassed. "I wasn't pout'n..."  
Denmark gave Samantha to Norway and added "Man, you really didn't need to do that, you know? I would have come to you if I had known I needed furniture earlier!" Denmark grinned, openly amused at Sweden's childish antics.  
"I alw'ys have some in stock, y' know?"  
Denmark broke into laughter and approached Sweden, arms wide open. "You're impossible!" He gave him a big bear hug that the Swede returned awkwardly.  
After the touching event, that had gained a big "Aaaww~!" from a certain Finnish man, Denmark and Sweden carried the rocking chair up to Sammy's room, while Finland and Norway walked into the living room.  
"How nice to see how they're getting along nowadays, don't you think, Norway? Ah, I shouldn't have mentioned how Sweden felt, it surely embarrassed him. I hope he isn't angry at me! I'm such a blabbermouth sometimes!"  
"Yeah." was all Norway had to say about that matter. As much as he enjoyed talking to Finland, he had other things to worry about at the moment. So he gave Samantha to his friend and chatting buddy, who gladly started playing with her.

-  
Norway knocked at the door to Iceland's room. He didn't wait for an answer and entered.  
"Hey!" Iceland yelled. He was sitting on his bed, reading a book, while munching on his favourite treat - liquorice.  
"I knocked, so don't complain." Norway stated flatly.  
"That's not how it works. You still need to wait for an answer." Iceland retorted.  
Norway closed the door, took a chair and sat down in front of his brother.  
"What, are you gonna play hobby psychologist again?"  
"Hey, don't sass me. I read books about teen psychology."  
"Oh great." Iceland let out an exasperated sigh and let himself flop on his back.  
"You're not acting like yourself lately. What's wrong?"  
"Nothing."  
"That's a lie." The Norwegian crossed his legs and looked Iceland straight in the eye.  
"You don't like Samantha, is that it?"  
"...It's not that I don't like her...I just don't get all this children thing. I mean, nations don't appear out of nowhere. There's something big going on that we don't know about! I'm sure of it!"  
The look in Iceland's eyes startled Norway. It was a mixture of suspicion, fear and determination. Iceland always seemed very calm, but Norway knew him better than that. He knew that Iceland was always on fire on the inside. Quite Literally.  
He didn't know if it was because of all the volcanoes in Iceland. Outbursts like this happened rarely, but they still did happen.  
But then another thought hit Norway like a snowball on an ice cold day.  
What if Iceland was right? What if the children really were replacements? Or maybe something else was currently changing in the world that required new nations? He didn't know. He would think about that later, for now, he had to be the reasonable and optimistic one, like a good big brother.

"Iceland." he began, "You're overreacting. It's true that new nations always bring change with them. But it doesn't have to be bad change." He talked in a very calm and gentle manner  
"Yeah, and what if it IS something bad? What if Denmark dies when she's old enough to take over? What would you do?" Iceland snapped again, sitting up in his bed.  
"...he's not gonna die." Norway was caught off guard by this comment.  
"How would you know?"  
"Do I have to remind you nobody died when you showed up?"  
"That's different! It's not like there was an 'Iceland' before me! There was no one to replace!"

Damn, where does he get all these arguments from?

Norway sighed. "Still." He got up, put the chair back from where he took it and headed for the door.  
"The world isn't as bad as you think it is. Try to look at it in a good way for once."  
And with that he left the room.

When Norway got back to the living room the rest of the Nordics were all scattered around. Sweden was sitting in the cream-coloured armchair looking through a magazine while occasionally glancing at Denmark and Finland, who were currently rolling on the floor playing with toy cars while making funny noises for little Sammy. Each time the cars collided and the two men invented more ridiculous noises the little girl beamed with delight and let out a silly laugh. She was literally cracking up by now.

"Hey, Norge! Where've ya been?" The Dane looked up at Norway and flashed him a grin. "Ya missed the big collision! You can be the ambulance if you want to!"  
"I'll pass." Norway sat down on the couch and watched them play. His mind couldn't push his brother's words aside. He kept his gaze on the little girl that was now caught in another fit of giggles. Could it really be true? Why on earth would Denmark need a replacement? Why would any nation need a replacement right now? It doesn't make any sense. He would just hold onto that thought for a while.

For now, he'll just enjoy the moment of peace. With the big silent man reading in the armchair. The pouting young man, I mean, boy in his bedroom. The two cheerful guys playing with toy cars. And the little girl laughing to her hearts delight.

He wouldn't mind if it stayed like this.

He wouldn't mind at all.

* * *

Alright, here's the third chapter! I'm sorry it took so long! ;A;

I'm a really slow writer and had a lot to do lately v/v I apologize!

Anyway, I hope you like it so far! See you in the next chapter!


End file.
